Vacationing with Allergies

It's not the first time. Last summer we went to Mexico for my brother's wedding. Of course all we knew at that point was that Monk had an egg allergy, and even then I was a crazy person who waved the EpiPens at any and every federales chanting, "Needles. Medicina por mi nino!"

At least this time there is no language barrier, no customs to get through,  and I have had a year of experience behind me to better prepare.

We opted for a much closer destination this time around, and headed out to the Hyatt Lost Pines in Bastrop, Texas.  Just a few hours car ride meant that we got to forgo the panic of boarding an airplane as well as having the option to pack the kitchen sink if I felt so inclined.

Prep Work
Anyone who has ever gone anywhere with three kids knows the prep work needed to make even a trip to the grocery store happen.  Needless to say, there was a bit more planning that needed to be done in order for all of us to be able to enjoy our time away.

Beyond making certain that everyone had enough underwear, appropriate shoes, and a toothbrush,  I needed to make sure that we could all eat without indecent. A quick call to the hotel and I was told that each room had a mini fridge, but none of their rooms were equipped with a kitchen.  I am not at a point yet where I am willing to trust others with food preparation for Monk.  I mentioned my concern to the hotel reservationist (side note: I have discovered that you get much more information and accommodation when you speak to the on-site reservationist, not the folks you get when calling the 1-800 number.)  Apparently the hotel has a finite number of microwaves available, but given our situation, she was able to guarantee that we would be able to have one.

I didn't really pack the kitchen sink, but I did pack the pantry.  I cooked pork, corn, broccoli and brown rice pasta, took various fruits, breakfast sausage, soy milk, soy yogurt, Chex cereal and numerous toddler squeeze pouches.  I researched the closest hospital to the resort (better safe than sorry).  I double checked ingredients on our sunscreens to ensure that they were allergen free.  Lastly, (and probably most importantly) we brought extra adults.  Vacations are always better with grandparents, right?  And when you are already outnumbered by your kids, the extra hands are much appreciated.  Plus, my parents have  actually gone the way of Benjamin Button and are more adventurous and fun as grandparents than I remember them being as parents.

Grams with Punkin on the water slide.

Monk and his favorite person, Boppa.

Rest and Relax
Well, sort of.  Has anyone ever rested on vacation with three children?

We arrived at the Hyatt Lost Pines where a very energetic young man had the privileged of unloading 400 lbs of suitcases, coolers, snacks, pillow, stuffed animals and such.  Kristen (yep, a guy) was our first staff interaction at Lost Pines and he set the tone for what would end up being the norm for their customer service.  Helpful smiles and, even though I'm far too young, lots of ma'ams greeted us consistently. 


Once we got settled I visited the concierge desk to ask questions about their medical emergency procedures.  I found out that I could dial a specific two digit number from any phone on the resort and immediately be connected with their emergency team.  Granted, it was not an emergency medical team, but they would go into action getting us to a safe place in the resort and getting ambulances to us.  They again mapped out the closest urgent care centers and hospitals in the area for me.

With all that handled, there was nothing left but to head to the pool and sit for countless hours soaking up the sun with a Mycolada in hand (just trust me that its better than a Pina Colada.) 


Entertaining the Masses
The pool area was a parent's dream. With a water slide, lazy river, splash pad, and beach all within feet from each other, the kids could enjoy themselves safely and within eye-shot of my lounge chair.  We found that the pool area didn't get busy until about 10:00 am, which was when the water slide opened.  So each morning after breakfast we went straight to the pool and staked our claim on prime territory at the base of the water slide.

The view from our shaded lounge chairs.

The pool was probably enough to entertain and exhaust my children by itself, but the resort offered several other activities on their daily schedule.  Bikes for all sizes (including ones with toddler seats for Monk) were available to check out, there were art projects twice a day (beyond your standard coloring sheet), visits from the resort's ponies and longhorns, exploring the butterfly garden, and Jag's personal favorite were the sports offered on the lawn each afternoon, such as soccer played with a 3 ft inflatable soccer ball! The Hyatt also offered paid attractions off property such as horseback riding and rock climbing complete with a zip line from the top!

Ponies were an added bonus for Punkin.

Jag got to show off his climbing skills.

Night time entertainment abounded as well with movie nights each evening on the lawn and s'mores at the fire pit, and even star gazing tours where we were lucky enough to get a close up view of Saturn and her rings. Amazing! And even with the added sugar of melted marshmallow and chocolate, my kids still managed to crawl into their beds and snooze off almost immediately each night.

Precautions
I knew that we would be spending countless hours outdoors and since Monk's EpiPens needed to be stored between 59°F and 86°F (meaning you can't be outside in Texas with one nor can it be kept in a cooler/refrigerator) I sought out a way to keep our EpiPens safe and cool.  I found Kool Blankets from Allergy Apparel, which have individual cells filled with liquid to keep the heat from getting to the medicine. I purchased two and kept one in the cooler while the other was wrapped around two EpiPens.  I swapped the blankets about every hour or so to ensure that they were kept cool.  I also purchased a waterproof EpiPen carrier so that we could carry them around the lazy river.  I will say that we did end up with condensation inside the carrier (none in the Epi containers), but overall it held up and relieved my fear of Monk having a reaction on the opposite side of the pool from our stuff.

Meals proved to be a different challenge. We don't eat out a lot at home.  Beyond having three children and the shear not fun-ness of having everyone sit still at a table for longer than 30 minutes, it can get expensive and certainly is not allergy friendly for Monk, but vacationing means restaurants and letting someone else do all the cooking.

Our reservation included a buffet breakfast each morning complete with omelet station. Cue anxiety! However, each day we would arrive at the hostess station and I would explain Monk's allergies and that we needed to be far from the food and omelet station as possible, and each day the hostesses were wonderful. They didn't blink or ask questions, but made arrangements to seat us on the far side of the restaurant.

For each meal I would pull out some of what I had prepared for Monk beforehand, pop it in the microwave and head out to the restaurants.  I would wipe their tables and their highchairs down with Clorox cleaning cloths amidst a few "she's that mother" kind of stares,  but, out of twelve sit down meals, we didn't have one food allergy reaction. Looking toward what I hope will be a future with less food allergies, I was actually fairly impressed with the resort's kids menu as it offered several allergy friendly meals, such as sunbutter, jelly and banana sandwiches and gluten free blueberry pancakes.

When Can We Go Back?
We managed 5 full days of fun and entertainment without the excitement of a full blown reaction (what's a week without a few hives to keep things interesting).   For our family, who were in much need of a vacation, it was perfect.  Close enough for comfort, but far enough away to feel the escape.  Thank you to the great staff at the Hyatt for helping to make it a great trip!

Is there such a thing as a family photo with everyone smiling and being still?

Check ups and milestones

Monk had his 18 month check up this week.  We went through all the questions of toddler milestones.

Does he say more than 8 words?
Lots more if you count "no" "mine" and different versions of "mom" used interchangeably depending on mood and how loud he has to be to get my attention.
Can he walk up stairs with assistance?
He can climb a 7 foot ladder with the bottom rung removed and get himself into his own high chair, so yeah.
Does he run?
HA!

While we all want to make sure that our children are hitting those milestones, I was anxious about a different measurement.  Weight.

Monk had been teetering just under the 20 lb. mark for months.  He would have a bad allergy month and loose several pounds only to put on enough weight to come back up to 19lb. 10oz. at our next appointment. No one said to me that he needed to be over 20lb. and no one seemed worried or was questioning his weight.  I mean he basically lives off of one source of meat (pork), fruits, veggies and rice, and doctors have commented that he is "small but growing." So the fact that we hovered just out of reach of what I considered in my head to be a milestone weight was really beginning to get to me.

When we got on the scale this week at the doctor, I cringed just a little bit.  I had the same feeling I get when I watch "Extreme Weight Loss" and the contestant needed to loose those last few lbs but ate a cheeseburger the week before weigh in!!!!  Beep, beep, beep.  The numbers go up and then down, and then...wait for it....your kid hits the power button.  Reset. Start again.  And the scale said...22lbs!!!  Needless to say I was excited.  Enough in fact to write a whole post about it.

It has been almost 2 months to the day since our last episode of anaphlaxis, and he has grown from being in the 9th percentile to the 21st percentile.  So I will be labeling this a success and hoping against hope that this is the new trend in our life.  In fact, I'm calling it a new year starting July 1. This family now runs on a fiscal year plan!

Maybe If I'm Packed I'll Never Use the Bag

Three trips to the hospital.  I should be a pro now, right?  But each time we hurriedly left for the hospital, my mind went blank and there were things forgotten. But preparing for our recent oral food challenge (story here) I had plenty of time to pack a bag and got to thinking that maybe I should just keep one packed with a few essentials that he and I will need to be comfortable (or as comfortable as you can be in a 10x10 room with a toddler strapped to a pulse ox machine.)

Spending anything longer than 30 minutes in one place with a toddler, there are certain essentials that you need to have on hand, but make it 4-6 hours and the list grows. I will start with a few things that will help anyone with a trip to the doctor's office for a routine check up,  getting your oil changed, or anything you dread doing with tiny humans.

Toys

PlanToys Nuts and Bots - $17.99

These wooden toys are rated for ages 24 months - 4 years, but all three of my kids at 17 m, almost 5 and 8 years old enjoyed playing with them.  The large circular topped screw was perfect for little hands, but to honest, while he wanted/needed my help to screw them into the adjoining "bolts" he mostly wanted to treat them as drumsticks.





Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Baby iCan Play Case - $14.99

When I first saw this product (and this one) I was horrified.  I wanted to believe that I would never need to purchase something like this to keep my child entertained!  We are already turning into a world where we as adults are umbilically  attached to our phones, so I hate to think of passing it onto the next generation while they are toddlers. You know what I hate more?  Trying to get a bored toddler to sit still for more than 5 seconds as he tries to jump off of the hospital bed or exam table. This struggle only ends with me giving in and handing him my phone, which he immediately throws to the grown and...yeah, that is worse. This toy let's him press on the home key incessantly (his favorite activity) or play with other apps (which he refuses). It has a screen protector for sticky fingers and can handle being thrown without threat to that ingenious glass screen (insert eye roll). One warning is that this is only compatible with iPhone, iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPod touch 2nd, 3rd & 4th generation.

Melissa & Doug Water Wow Paint Kits - $6.99 each

This was by far the most popular with my Monk and with Punkin, who loves all things art related. The spiral bound book comes with 4 coloring boards and a paint pen that you fill with water.  When the boards are painted with water the colors appear along with hidden pictures. No coloring in the lines required, and no worry that he will color the walls!
 






Melissa and Doug Jumbo Triangular Crayons - $7.99

A friend gave me the brilliant idea to have Monk color on the exam table paper. Why had I never thought of this before?  I bought him these special jumbo crayons because they fit better in his sweet chunky little hands, there is no wrapping to keep him from using all sides, and I love all things Melissa and Doug (no really, their stuff is just such wonderful quality!)

All four of these things can fit easily into a back pack or diaper bag with plenty of room to spare for all the necessities.

Clothing
As mothers we are programed to bring extra clothes for our little ones because no matter who you are or what your kid eats, an explosion of one kind or another happens to all of us. This is doubly true when dealing with a food allergy kid.  Monk happens to react by throwing up most of the time, so be it a trip to the ER, an oral food challenge, or just a day at the park, I always bring extras for him.

The thing that I forget about is extra clothes for me.  I didn't even think about it until an EMT, standing in the entry to my home told me, "Ma'am, would you like to change your shirt before we leave for the hospital?"  This really happened.  I had been thrown up on about 3 or 4 times and the epi shot had left Monk's leg bleeding, so I was literally covered in blood and vomit and had not given a second thought to changing my clothes in all the panic and worry.

Lastly, socks.  Two out of three hospital visits we didn't have shoes for Monk, but thankfully we at least had socks.  The obvious reasons for having socks is comfort, but beyond that, nurses will put a pulse-oxymeter on your kid's toe, and it only takes about one minute for curiosity to kill the proverbial cat and send little fingers to ripping at the tap holding the pulse-ox in place.  Socks will keep it covered and, voila, keep it on!  These Wrapables socks are super cute and they have great grips on the bottom to keep them from face planting on slippery hospital tiles.


Comfort Essentials
I dare you all to try to get a baby who has been given adrenaline followed up with steroids to go to sleep.  You might laugh and think that I am kidding, but my child was climbing up the side of his crib, not to sleep, mind you, but to climb. He was quite literally climbing the walls with energy. The only thing that got him to sleep was his own blanket from home (no, the gift shop decoy didn't work) and his passy. So make sure to pack along any comfort items that will help calm your little ones.

Food
Hospitals have cafeterias, and actually, so does our Allergist's office, but try to find allergy friendly food in a cafeteria.  The one time I tried, I came back with an orange and applesauce.  After 4 hours of no food I had one unhappy kids who could have eaten 10 containers of applesauce without blinking. So pack food. Pack lots of food. If you are hospital bound, pack enough for the entire night just in case.

Extra Stuff
Each hospital and Dr.'s office that I have been at is located in the black hole of phone service.  You can get a signal, and in fact they have wireless for their guests, but it will suck the life from your phone in a few hours flat. Imagine being stuck for hours in one place with no Facebook or Candy Crush means to communicate with family and friends. TAKE YOUR PHONE CHARGER!

Lastly, the strangest thing that I have packed in our little bag?  Plug covers. We actually spent 4 hours at a hospital following a reaction, whose electrical outlets were bed level on the wall with the bed pushed right up against them! Yes, I spent 4 hours keeping fingers out of sockets.

Medications
Not that I every purposfully leave the house without his medications, and it should be first on the list, but there is additional reasoning in bringing your own meds to doctors offices and hospitals.

The most important reason is in case secondary doses of medications are needed in route.  The one time we traveled via ambulance the EMT made certain that I had additional Epi Pens on me before we left.  Texas allows EMTs to administer epinephrine, but they may not have it stocked in the ambulance.

Secondly, My allergist once told me that they have to charge $25 for a single dose of Benedryl in the office.  Of course, if he needs it I never hesitate, but if he can wait until we get into the hallway, done.
Our pharmacy bill during our first hospital stay was over $1,000 with insurance. It amounted to one Epi Pen, Benadryl, Steroids, and Asthma medication. All of these things I either had in my medicine cabinet or in my purse at the time. Now again, I am not advocating for self administering meds in a hospital setting, but it does give me pause (and heartburn.)

I also had an experience in a non-pediatric ER setting, where the doctors on hand did not follow the same Benadryl dosage that my allergist and other pediatric ER docs had advised during previous visits.  When I mentioned that Monk's hives (which covered his whole trunk) were returning and, according to my calculations, it was past the time for his next dose, the doctor told me that I had to wait at least another 2 hours before giving him more.  What?  Thankfully we were discharged shortly thereafter and I was able to give him his next dose on the way out the door.

Scramble!
I hope that this post didn't cause anyone to jump from their chairs and start running through the house collecting items.  It does help to be prepared, but not panicked. Until now, each time I grabbed a bag to head out the door I remembered more and more of this list.  Part of me doesn't want to have a bag packed since that seems like in some way I am willing the universe to give us a reason to use it, but I prefer to go with "the watched pot never boils" theory. And I will watch that bag like there is no tomorrow!

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